Are you Prepared?
(Emergency Preparedness for Any Situation)
We all know or have heard we need to be prepared for extended blackouts or a day or two of staying at home after an earthquake. And in general, most of us have a working flashlight and enough food for that situation. But what if it’s not a day or two? What if it’s not just a blackout or a short term problem? What if it’s 3 days, 5 days, a week or more and there’s no natural gas, no water, no electricity? That sounds extreme, doesn’t it? Not really.
In 1989 on October 17th the Loma Prieta earthquake hit the San Francisco Bay area. And yes, things were really bad in San Francisco. But did you know there were power outages, gas outages, water outages and road closures that extended for hundreds of miles? People in Monterey, parts of the Central Valley and parts of northern California went without phones, water, natural gas, and electricity for days. In some cases, for over a week. Would you be prepared for that?
Let’s face it, we live on a volatile planet with unpredictable weather and sometimes a not so pretty geo-political situation. So, there are several types of disasters we may need to face. Earthquake, Tsunami, extreme weather, civil unrest. Each situation has its unique possibilities. But in general, we can plan for most of them.
First and foremost, do you have a plan for your family on where to meet should you be separated at the time of the situation? Home of course but if you can’t get to your house do you have a 2nd or 3rd meeting area? Do you have a bug-in plan? And a bug-out plan?
Secondly, supplies. Do you have a week of non-perishable food and water? Do you have batteries for your flashlight and emergency radio? For that matter do you have a radio that runs on batteries? Information is critical when in an emergency situation. Do you have an emergency first aid kit? If you had to leave do you have enough gas in the car or back-up supply? Do you have a way to heat up water or cook without electricity or natural gas? Do you have games like cards or board games to keep the kids entertained?
Last and not least does everyone in your family know what their responsibilities would be in the case of an emergency? Have you taken a CPR class or first aid course? Do you know how to start a fire if you need to? Do you know where the gas shutoff is for your house? The water shut off? The circuit breaker box? Is your water heater safety strapped to a wall? Have you run an earthquake or fire drill with your family?
None of us want to think the worst could happen but sometimes it does. And planning ahead can save lives or just make getting through it more comfortable.
Contributed by Victoria Sutherland, Licensed Insurance Agent